As A 19-Year-Old Student I Fully Support Increasing Women’s Legal Age For Marriage To 21!

I blame myself for getting excited seeing the news that the legal age for marriage for women will be increased to 21. But fear not. The society showed me my place. I had the good fortune of listening to multiple news debates on this issue. Yeah, this is apparently an issue that has people speaking against it.

The illogical argument that women are just waiting to turn 18 and have sex

Anyone following the news would have heard the many wonderful arguments that are coming up. I watched two debates in Malayalam news channels that ended up talking about the same points. 

The same person in both the debates believed that if women are not married by 18, they will find other ways to satisfy their sexual desires and the society will lose its values. I loved how they conveniently forgot about the existence of contraception, assuming becoming pregnant at that age was their issue with unmarried women having sex.

Another point was that this would interfere with our right to choose our partner and get married. For years men have suffered, having to wait till they turn 21 to get married. We will also walk that brave, dangerous, challenging path that you saviours have treaded upon.

I assure you all that almost no 18-year-old girl is lamenting how society is taking away their right to get married

Oh yes, of course, the universal adult franchise argument! Yes, choosing your leaders, who will form the government and govern you and your country, is a huge responsibility.

But I do share that responsibility with billions of others, spread over every age group. An 18-year-old girl, getting married, becoming a mother by 19 or 20 undergoes so many changes mentally, physically, and emotionally. It literally alters that girl so much in so many tiny and big ways. The two scenarios are so different from each other; you literally cannot compare them logically.

I can assure you all that almost no 18-year-old girl is sitting in their rooms right now lamenting how the society is taking away their right to get married.

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As a 19-year-old college student, I am definitely not sad that I’m not married already

I don’t care which party brings this into effect. I couldn’t care less about it. I don’t need to know rocket science to understand the society. It is no secret that there are still so many families from different religious backgrounds who get their daughters married at the age of 18.

Heck, I know so many of my classmates who have dropped out of college after getting married. It is cheap that politicians would object to this bill only based on political agendas. I have not heard even one actual, valid argument.

Having grown up in the country that still hasn’t passed the bill for 33% female representation in the Parliament, my expectations are almost nil for getting any good legislation. But it still hurts that there are so many parties who are so ready to oppose this bill with the dumbest arguments to defend themselves. 

Bracing myself for another disappointment–a 19-year-old college student who is most definitely not sad that she is not married already!

Image source: Parched

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